460 



Slate of Public Affairs in November. 



[Dec. f, 



were 10,900,280^., and tlie lowest 

 8,394,910/. These tolals alteiwaids 

 .swelled, ill 1812 and 13, 1o 31, 32, and 

 S3 millions; but, on the finst of .January 

 1816, wcieasain reduced to 24,040,640?. 

 To tliis sudden reduction may Ijo as- 

 cribed llie lall in tiie money-value of all 

 commodities — and the abrid<fed circii- 

 Jation of (lie 696 Country fJaiiks ; hut 

 Ihr; reduction, say the Bank directors, 

 was a eoiiscqiiciice ofliic want of trade, 

 and of plausible mercantile bills, on 

 the security of which they could issue 

 their notes. The miseries arising from 

 the fluctuations ol jiroperty are there- 

 fore a necessary eonsriiuence of the 

 .substitution of an ailifieial paper-cur- 

 rency, issued by a private company 

 under interested and fallibk' views, in 

 jilace of u national currency of specie, 

 ■whose circulation is governed by the 

 mialtcrain.'^ relations of trade and pro- 

 perty to the precious metals. 



Perhaps no instance can be adduced 

 of the supevaniuiation of the fmancial 

 system of the IJritish Executive more 

 striking liian the following, <lerived from 

 the accounts laid in IViay last before 

 Parliarninit. The Mastrr of the Hawks 

 is allowed a salary of 1,372/. 10*.; while 

 the Professors of Divinity, at both Uni- 

 versities, receive but 13/. Gs. 8(1. And 

 6000/. per annum are paid to the Kand 

 of Gentlemen Pensioners, while 10/. per 

 annum is granted to the University of 

 Cambri'lge, and 42/. to tiic r'cilo'.vs of 

 Eton College. So al.'o the Attorney and 

 Solicitor Generals are allowed respec- 

 •tively but 81/. 6s. Sd., and 70/.; and the 

 twenty King's Counsel but 40/. each; 

 ■while thetwoChicf-lusticesin Kyre (Air) 

 receive between them 4566/. 13*. 4d. 

 Yet such things arc annually passed by 

 Parliament, and there arc those who 

 «till affect to donl)t wliether we want a 

 Parliamentary Reform ! 



On the first of Febrnaiy last, the 

 unredeemed funded and unfunded debts 

 of Great Britain, taken at 5 per cent, 

 amounted to 532,694,976/.; at 4 per 

 cent, to 623,780,788/. ; at 3 per cent, 

 to 751,469,401/.; and, at the current 

 prices of stock on the 16tii of May, to 

 525,943,225/. And, at the same time, 

 the debt of Ireland, (now added to the 

 English debt,) amounted, according 

 to the last mode of estimation, to 

 86,102,989/.; the two deb's being as 

 2 to 12, 21, or 1 to 6 nearly. 



Among the memorabilia of the month, 

 tlie entertainments given by some 

 wretched chse corporations in the 

 ijurth of Ireland, to the Lord C'astle- 



reagh, merit notice, in conscfpunce of 

 the novel doctrines of this minister 

 relative to the crime of (he late vvar: — he 

 now asserts, that the people led the 

 ministry, and that (lie latter only fol- 

 lowed the public voice; and. aware of 

 the body of evidence in W'liitworfh's, 

 Fox's, Lauderdale's, and his own cor- 

 respondence, was plea.'.ed to assert, that 

 Napoleon has acknowledged at St. 

 Helena (hat he had an original and 

 unjirovokcd design fo ruin Great Bri- 

 tain! We hope his lordship will con- 

 tinue to promote discussion in regard (o 

 this crime, as tlic certain means of lead- 

 ing to the exposure and punishment of 

 the great erisninals. 



On Friday, November 15, from 20 tn 

 30,000 pcisoiLs assembled in Spa-fie!ds, 

 in conse<|ueuce of a requisilion from a 

 committee in Shoreditch, addre.ssed to 

 distressed tradesmen, manulaetureis, 

 and maiiners, calling upon lliem to 

 meet for (he purpose of ado)>ting some 

 measures with a view to their relief. 

 After eloqneiit and energetic speeclicsj 

 from the Rev. Mr. PAnt<^F..s, and Mr. 

 JfF.NRY fh NT, (the late patriotic can- 

 didate for Bristol.) the details of whr(Ji 

 we regret that we have not room to 

 insert, the following resolutions were 

 carried by unanimous acclamation, and 

 a petition to the Regent was read bj' 

 Mr. Hunt, foundecl on their contents. 



That the country is in a state of fearful 

 aud iinparallt'lt'd distress and misery ; and 

 that the principal immediate cansc of liiis 

 calamity, which has fallen upon all classc!t 

 of persons, except that class which derive 

 their incomes from the Taxes, is, that enor- 

 mous load of taxation, winch lias taken, 

 and wliieli still takes, tVom the farmer, the 

 nianufactiircr, and the tradesman, the 

 means of maintaining their families, and 

 paying tlipir debts, and of affordin!.', in the 

 shape of wages, a siifticieivcy to employ 

 and support their lahoureis and jour- 

 neymen. 



'I'liat the causes of this intolerable bur- 

 den, are, 1st, the iiniount ot a debt con- 

 traded by borongli-mongers for ilie pur- 

 poses of carrying on a long, iimticcsufiri/, 

 and ti){jiist trur, the main objects ot wliich 

 now appear to have been to sti/ie civil, 

 politie.il, and ■ elisiions liberty, and to re- 

 store despotism and persecution ; '2nd, the" 

 niaiiitenancc o! an army in France, in or- 

 der to iipliuld llic restored despots and 

 priests in opposition lo the express wishes 

 of the whole Fieiiih nation; od, The 

 keepin'fnp of an eiioimuiis standiiii; army 

 in these kiiii:doms, with a view of over- 

 awini; the people, and compelling them to 

 submit to war-taxes in time of peace; 4th, 

 A lavish and profJigate expenditure of the 

 public 



